$27 Million in Technical Assistance for Rural and Tribal Communities - Department of Transportation

Available Funding
Written By Kevin Klingbeil

Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program

By the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Build America Bureau (Bureau), the program offers $27 million in technical assistance grants to rural and tribal communities for the planning and design phase development of transportation projects. There is no local funding match required to participate in this program. The Bureau designated up to $10 million for Tribal applicants.

Additional Resources:

2023 Applications Dashboard

July 20, 2024, webinar with this link (passcode: m!5Ov0B^)

July 20, 2024 webinar slides

Overview

The BIL created the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, which makes $10 million available over five years to provide states, local governments, and tribal governments with grants to support project development leading to future applications to DOT credit or grant programs. The grants can support legal, technical, and financial advisors to help advance infrastructure projects. The first notice of funding opportunity includes two fiscal years and makes $3.4 million available to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Interested entities may access copies of the NOFO and application questions below to review and draft responses in advance.

Dates

  • Applications accepted beginning March 4, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET.

  • The application portal will close on April 3, 2025, at 4:59 p.m. ET

FY25 Webinar

The Bureau will host a free webinar on January 14, 2025, at 3 p.m. ET about the application process and what activities can be funded through the program. Participation in the webinar is not mandatory to receive funding.

A copy of the webinar recording and presentation will be posted to the website afterward. To provide an inclusive experience, the Bureau will arrange accommodations for requests received at RuralAndTribalTA@dot.gov up to five business days prior to the webinar. Register for the webinar.

Eligibility

Your project is eligible if: 

  • The project is not in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area.
    OR - The project is in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area with a population of 150,000 or less. 

  • Your project is not eligible if it is in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area that has a population of more than 150,000 people. 

Also, you may wish to visit: Rural Eligibility | US Department of Transportation. For step-by-step instructions on using the eligibility tool, please view this tutorial.*  

Additional resource: Lookup an address to see if it is rural on Tigerweb* -- follow these instructions. 

*Accessibility statement: If you need assistance using this tool, please email RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov.

Eligible project sponsors may receive grant funds to select advisors to assist with pre-development-phase activities, including: 

  • feasibility studies

  • project planning

  • revenue forecasting and funding and financing options analyses 

  • preliminary engineering and design work

  • environmental review

  • economic assessments and cost-benefit analyses

  • public benefits studies

  • statutory and regulatory framework analyses

  • value-for-money (VFM) studies  

  • evaluations of costs to sustain the project

  • evaluation opportunities for private financing and project bundling  

Resource Links:

For more information, please email RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov.

 
Kevin Klingbeil
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